The Story of Evil
by Eblyy
Summary: Twins of yellow. A maiden of green. A daughter of white. A swordswoman in red. And a king of blue. How do these tales connect, and more importantly, how do they end? Because not all fables have a happy ending, and not all people are good. This is the Story of Evil.
1. An heir and someone else are born

A King stood at the edge of a small wooden balcony, the cool night breeze faintly flowing through his golden hair. His gaze danced over his sleeping kingdom of Lucifenia, every building or so dimly lit with candle light. He heard frantic footsteps behind him, and turned to see a servant of his rushing up at full speed.

"Your majesty!" He said in a breathless wheeze. "The queen has birthed you twins. A boy and a girl." The servant than rested his gloved hands on his knees, giving the king a full view of his back clothed in black cloth rise and fall at a faster rate than normal. Pushing the man aside, he raced into the room behind him and down a spiraling set of stairs, taking two steps at a time. He turned into a long cooridor orned with large tapestries of Lucifenia and himself, his footsteps echoing through the space as his leather boots crashed against marble floors. Finally, he reached his chambers where his wife and two screaming newborns lay. He shoved open the grand golden door and immediately walked over to his wife, who was laying on one side of the bed staring up at the ceiling in a daze.

"Anne." He said softly, brushing pale hair off the queen's forehead. She slowly rotated her head to face him, and her face curled into a weak smile.

"Arth, aren't they beautiful? They'll grow into such wonderful rulers one day." She said weakly, and he leaned in closer and nuzzled her neck.

"Yes, both of them will. You've done a fine job, my love. A fine job." Her head fell limp on his, and he slowly repositioned it on the pillow. Anne's face was still smiling, and he could see faint tears in the corners of her lashes. Arth wiped them away with his thumb and planted a kiss on her forehead, before turning to one of the many maids stationed in the room. "Summon the mage Elluka to my quarters. I wish to know my children's future." The maid bowed and ran off out of the room. Arth turned to the two babies, both of which had fallen asleep and been wrapped up in blankets by the nurse. Looking over the two, he noticed that they look exactly alike, despite them being different genders and even in their chubby, red-faced state.

The door suddenly opened, and the maid he had sent off hurriedly rushed into the room Behind her, a woman wearing a worn brown cloak with long pink hair that flowed mystically around her walked in with a graceful manor in her step. She stopped a few feet in front of him, and bowed down deeply.

"Congratulations, your majesty." She said slowly, her voice soft.

"Thank you, Elluka. I suppose you know the reason I summoned you?" She got up from her bow, her head still slightly facing the ground.

"You want me to grant you a fortune for your children, correct?"

"Yes." The woman grinned.

"Always the same with you, your highness." She said playfully, pulling the hood of her cloak up around her head and moving towards the sleeping twins. She glanced over to Anne, who had a dozen nurses tending to her sleeping body at the moment. "Tell Anne I say hello when she wakes up, will you?" She asked.

"Of course I will." Arth said warmly, and walked up beside Elluka. She nodded at him, and turned her attention back towards the twins, placing the tips of each of her index fingers to their foreheads and closing her eyes to concentrate. The spot around where she was touching both of them began to glow a soft white, before ribbons of light shot up from the ground and surrounded her and the babies. Her hair began to float out from under her cloak and flow gently above her head, as if a wind were flowing up from the ground. Elluka spoke, her voice deeper than normal, it coursing through the room at full volume.

"The pair shall grow up in serenity, surrounded by market and shore. Eight days after their sixth birthday, a scar inflicted by hate will appear on one's skin. They shall take the throne from it's owner, and be the end of the Yellow Kingdom." Her hair flew back down to her sides, and the light faded until the room was back to normal. The maids stared, and the nurses I did too before rushing back to the queen. She opened her eyes, and Arth was slapped with a gripping fear and anxiety that tore at his insides. Slowly, he glanced over to his two beautiful children.

 _How? How could these two angels be anything but innocent?_ But the thought quickly shrunk away as realization kicked in. _One of them will destroy everything I've worked so hard to build. One of them is just a power hungry demon, aren't they?_ Elluka saw his growing expression of disgust towards the children, but her work was already done. She didn't need to intervene. Pulling her hood up again, she said her farewells and waved goodbye, before disappearing out the door.

A maid standing near the king saw his unpleasant expression, and leaned over to him with a bowed head. "Your majesty? Are you unwell?" She asked, and he blinked, snapping out of his thoughts.

"I'm fine." He said, shaking his head to clear his mind. The nurses began to shuffle out, and Anne's whisper-like voice came from the bed.

"My children... I want to see my children." Arth rushed over and gently picked up the twins, trying to refrain from looking at them. He musnt grow attached, for one will have to die at a later date. His wife reached up to him, and he placed the two in her arms. "Oh, you're so beautiful. We didn't name them yet, right?" He shook his head.

"You can pick the names." He said flatly. Anne smiled, and looked at the girl in her arms.

"You shall be Riliane, my beauty." She weakly said, and tapped the tiny child's nose before turning her gaze to the boy. "And you... You are Allen." The queen giggled. "Welcome to the world, my gorgeous twins of yellow." She gushed, and snuggled the two close to her face as Arth stood at the foot of the bed, staring at the group with a grimace.

 _Welcome to the world_.


	2. A home surrounded by market and shore

The following week, the king ordered that Riliane and Allen be raised by his wife in their summer home, located at the edge of the sea in a small fishing town. The bunch were sent off two weeks later, and his majesty continued to rule Lucifenia on his own.

~Four years later~

A little girl rushed down a wooden hallway, dodging the flustered maids scattered about the space, holding laundry or plates of food above their heads to keep them from falling. The girl giggled at some of their enraged expressions as her yellow head of hair bounced back and fourth with her steps. She loved making people feel things, weather it be joy or sorrow, it made her feel in control. Her white ruffled gown swished as she sharply turned to the right, onto a dark stone porch facing a tiny little beach. A boy in a brown coat knelt on the ground, feeling the coolness of the shaded sand with his toes. The girl jumped down from the open ledge rather dramatically, and bounded over to the boy. He stood up when he heard footsteps, and turned in the noises' direction. His face lit up when he saw the girls face, but before he could say anything she jumped on top of him and tackled him to the ground, smothering the boy with a ruffle filled hug of death. "Len!" She excitedly shouted, the scrambled off when he make a noise of being choked.

"Hi Rin." He said, rubbing the back of his head with one hand and dusting of sand with the other. Rin grinned over excitedly, and squeezed Len from the side, planting a kiss on his cheek. Rin and Len were nicknames the two siblings had given each other a few years back, they were their own special names that no one else got to call them. At first they called them by their nickname infront of everyone, but after a couple harsh scoldings from their mother, they knew to only use them in private. Still, they were together so much that they even thought of themselves as Rin and Len, instead of Riliane and Allen.

Len smiled and pushed his sister off him, but not far away enough for them not to be touching. "Aren't you supposed to be in a poise lesson right now?" He asked, and Rin pouted and turned away.

"Poise is so so boring. And it's almost tea time too! And when I saw Len playing outside I got super super sad, so I decided to skip poise and play with Len. And Mariam got super super mad, she did, and I thought it was funny because her face looked funny. Like this!" She puffed her cheeks up and stuck her tounge out, squinting her eyes to immitate Mariam's habit of squinting when angry. Len fell backwards and laughed, and Rin pointed at him on rolling the ground. "See! I told you it was funny." Len got up, and stamped his fists.

"That's mean!" He said. She crossed her arms.

"Nuh uh, it's what really happened, it is. It is." He was about to reply back, but suddenly their mother stormed onto the porch, and then onto the beach.

"Riliane!" She yelled, her face contorted into a furious glare. Her blue day gown swung back and forth with the weight of her petticoats as she stomped towards the pair. The twins immediately shrunk half their size, their mom tripling in height and towering miles above them. Instinctively, they grabbed onto each other as their mom began her rant.

"Why in the world would you just run out of a lesson like that?! We pay good money for your tutoring so you dam- better well be there for the lessons or else!"

"Yes ma'am!" Riliane sqeaked, and Allen's grip on her tightened, wrinkling the white fabric of her dress. His mother turned in his direction, and he squeaked just as his sister had when she spoke.

"And don't you think you're not in trouble as well, you are just as guilty for not immediately sending Riliane back to the lesson." The queen sighed and pressed a hand to her temple. "What am I going to do with these two?" She mumbled under her breath, then grabbed both twins' wrist and pulled them back into the mansion and too their room, the maids watching from behind sliding doors at the scene playing out before them. She put the two into the room, and then closed the dark wooden on them before locking it shut. Anne pressed her forehead against the wood, sighing stressfully with a painted look on her face. " _Honestly_..." She groaned, turning away from the door and walking back to her study down the pale rose colored staircase. "I call these kids my children.." Crying could be heard coming from inside the room she had locked them in, and she rolled her eyes. "You can come out when you've learned your lesson!" She yelled to the wooden door, before walking to the end of the plain hall and traveling down the set of rosy stairs lined with gold.

Back in the room, the twins were definitely not reassured by their mother's statement, and they clung to each other on the white carpet floor of their room as they cried. The walls were painted a pale yellow, matching the sheet on their bed. Large stuffed animals were scattered about, complete with a rocking horse and dollhouse. But they never really used them.

Len was the first one to stop crying, and he helped calm Rin down. He kept telling her that everything was alright and that she wasn't in trouble, and eventually she believed him and stopped crying. She looked at Len with teary eyes, and he pulled her into and hug.

"It's ok, mom's just really tired right now from work stuff. She'll let us out soon." But they both knew that was false. Still, they both climbed into their bed anyways, arms wrapped around the others' body and legs entangled. For hours they tried to fall asleep, eventually succeeding when the sky started to change its color. For both of them knew that "after they learned their lesson" really meant after the sun rose the very next morning.


	3. She would weep under the tree everyday

A robin a sat on a small twig of a branch, staring at the great Millennium Tree from a small oak a few feet away. The Millennium Tree, as the humans called him, was the creator and boss of the robin. The spirits just call him Held though. But, that wasn't the reason why the bird waited ever so patiently atop the old oak tree. She was waiting for the little white haired girl that visited Held. She would weep under the tree everyday, telling him all she had been through. The robin only started staying for these visits for a few days, and after a while she too would weep along with the strange girl, for the spirits of the forest never had to endure pain such as what the humans do. This little girl, for instance, was being treated ever so poorly because she had white hair, and everyone else in her village had green hair. The child would ask Held everyday of why her peers were mean, but he never answered her for he was sleeping when she came. Still, she ruffled up her green feathers and waited for the girl, until the familiar 'clip clomp' of steps traveling up the grassy hill joined the sounds of the forest, and her snowy hair swished back and forth in two tiny pig-tails. She kneeled down in her blue dress, the already dirty fabric making itself at home in the dirt, and the small forest sprit in the form of a robin listened in to what she had to say.

"Ms. Clockwork?" The spirit asked one day, floating alongside the wonderous pink-haired mage and her apprentice Gumillia, who happened to be the robin's best friend as well. The forest was cold that day, but the robin liked these days as everything shined with a fresh coat of dew, lighting up the Millennium forest with all sorts of colors when the sun hit. The dry pine needles cracked underneath the two beside her and they walked, and she decided to change into a robin to rest on Gumillia's shoulder.

"I've told you on numerous occasions not to call me that, Michaela." She scolded, shooting a cold yet playful glance in her direction.

"Sorry, sorry. Elluka. Well, I was just wondering-"

"Why the white haired girl seems so lonely?" Gumillia interrupted matter-of-factly, their face neutral as always. They used to be a spirit alongside Michaela, until they made a deal with Held and became Elluka's apprentice. She didn't know much the details, only that small amount.

"Yeah, actually. How did you know?" Michaela asked, and the bright green haired elphe smiled slightly, ruffling their gray cloak a little as she shrugged.

"I see you watching her in the same spot everyday." They replied, and Elluka reached over and scratched the turquoise-green feathers under the bird's beak, smiling at the small coo of content that followed.

"It is because she's a Netsuma." She said, answering her previous question. Michaela tiled her head to the side.

"What's a Netsuma?" She asked.

"They're an almost extinct clan of people with red eyes and white hair. They're very hated amoung the Elphes, the whole of Elphegort. Despises them." The mage stated, not showing a hint of empathy toward the people. The robin's brown eyes widened and she tightened her tallons around Gumillia's shoulder, the elphe giving out a small yelp in response.

"But that's so mean!" Michaela cried, and Gumillia frowned, tossing a lock of short green hair out of their face before replying.

"The Elphes have had a lot of fights with the clan in the past, the majority of which were started by the Netsuma. So there is reasoning behind their discrimination." They said in their flat tone of speaking, a trait she did not like about them. Now it was her turn to frown.

"But that doesn't mean it's right!" She pouted, and tightened her tallons around their shoulder even more than before.

"Hey!" Gumillia yelled, and swatted her off their shoulder to clutch their stinging flesh, which was probably beet red at this point. "Watch where you put those needles you call feet, bird!" She shouted, and Michaela grinned.

"At least I don't stuff my mouth with nuts and _eat them,_ squirrel!" She chirped amusingly, and Gumillia's face went as red as an apple.

"Why you!" And then the chase began, the two running in circles, one trying to trap the other in their hands, and the other cheerfully laughing as she slipped right through them. Watching from a few feet away, Elluka put a gloved hand up to her face and laughed at the two, before stepping in and giving them a lecture about being noticed by humans, before the three of them continuing their walk around the Millennium Tree Forest, with Michaela complaining wildly when they had to leave. Spirits were forbidden from leaving the forest by Held, with the few exceptions like Gumillia who had been turned into humans to help with something big. Michaela waved goodbye to them, and wondered about the Netsuma before returning to Held for the night.

For the past few years, Michaela would try to watch the Netsuma girl from afar when she went to go visit Held. She wished that she could go down and help her, but she knew that she would never be able to go beyond the forest. The girl had very quickly grown into a young woman, and one day, she came walking up the grassy hill as always. Her pretty white hair pulled back in a low ponytail by a big blue ribbon, her gray dress swishing back and forth as she walked. The robin watched, as she knelt down before Held and pressed both of her hands together. Michaela flew closer, this time she would listen, she'd hear everything the girl said.

"Hey... I know I've told this story a lot, so I'll keep it brief. Ever since I was little, people didn't like me and hurt me for no reason. Only now though, do I know that there is a reason. I'm sorry for being alive, I really truly am. I'm so so sorry. I've tried being nice to people, but they- especially Chelsea, they all turn me away. And I'm so so scared for my mother, the doctor says she's getting worse and worse every month. I just don't know what to _do..._ " The Netsuma curled up into a ball, her tears finally claiming her and Michaela both. But after a few short moments, the girl looked back up to the tree. "God, I honestly don't believe you exist. But supposing that you... That there is a thing called God in this world... Anyone is fine, I just want someone to be my friend." She said, her cracking voice almost a whisper at this point. The spirit wanted to scream out, but she wouldn't be heard even if it was from her dying breath. The Netsuma girl simply sat up, bowed in Held's direction awkwardly, and walked down the grassy hill, her gray dress swishing back and forth with her steps.


	4. A world belonging only to them

Allen stumbled a little as a rounded gray pebble almost tripped the boy as it lay there in the wet sand, waiting to be carried away by the highly tide once the hours passed. The newly-turned six year old caught himself with his other foot, holding on to the twigs piled up in his arms to keep them from falling. Riliane looked up from her pile of sand, and laughed at how many twigs he had found, them stacked up to the point where he could barely see over them. Allen smiled back, joyed that he could make her smile without him trying. He dumped the twigs next to the mound the two were calling a sand castle, and dusted off his pants and shirt from anything left over by them.

"You didn't have to get so many of them, Len!" Riliane scolded, but the expression on her face and the way her eyes had lit up said otherwise. Allen had outgrown calling people by a nickname, but Riliane still a clung to her habit. To her, he was forever "Len" and no one else could tell her otherwise. Although strangely, she had abandoned her own nickname, probably because she had stopped being called it. Sitting down next to her, he stuck a twig at the very top of the mound making some sand tumble to the sides because of the new object. He poked at it and stated,

"That's the flag. The other sticks are to make a wall so no one can enter our castle without our permission." Riliane smiled.

"Yeah! And if we catch them we'll feed them to crocodiles, we will!"

"Crocodiles are scary." Allen said, crossing his arms and pouting.

"Are not!"

"Are too!" They comically glared at each other from opposite sides of the sand castle, then fell to the ground and laughed before resuming work on the twig wall. Allen finished first and helped Riliane out with her side, eventually finishing that as well. She jumped up the second the final twig was in place, picking up her thin dress and running over to the spot where sand met sea, her bare feet turning pink from the cold of the water.

"See, look at our castle everyone! You're not allowed, never ever!" She turned to Allen who was walking over to join her at the moment. "It's for me and Len only." He smiled too, and reached into his pocket to pull out two glass jars with tiny pieces of paper in them, held shut with a piece of cork wood.

"I stole these from the kitchen." He said grinning, and held out a bottle to her. "Wanna make a wish? I brought a pencil." Wish making was a local custom amoung the townspeople, and the two had learned it during their trips to the market. You wrote down a wish on a piece of paper and let it float into the sea inside a glass bottle. Then, they say, your wish will come true. Riliane shook her head at his offer.

"That's a game for the peasants." She said, stomping her foot slightly, making the salt water beneath it jump. Allen looked sad, making her feel guilty. "But.. Ill help you make a wish?" He smiled at this, pulling the paper from the bottle and getting out a pencil.

"You don't need to help me, I already know what my wish is." His calm voice cheerfully boasted, and Riliane pouted again, she was actually excited to help.

"Well what was your wish then?" She said, keeping her eyes at the water instead of looking at him as punishment. But he was looking at the sea too, having already written down what he wanted on the paper by this time.

"I wish that Riliane will be happy for ever and ever." He recited, grinning lovingly now out at the horizon as he clutched the tiny little bottle. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when she couldn't think of anything to say. Allen continued on. "If that becomes true, then I'll be happy." He rolled up the paper and put it in the bottle, sealing it tight with the cork wood.

"Then stay with me." Riliane finally said, and Allen turned to her with a puzzeled look. She gently smiled at him, and clasped her hands together behind her skirt. "Stay with me forever so your wish will come true, because I'm the very happiest when I'm with Len." He stared at her shocked, and felt a blush creep up over his cheeks. Then he grinned, a genuine grin, and stepped closer to Riliane before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

"Then I will, forever and ever." He let the bottle drop into the water, and the gentle current started to slowly pull the little thing into the ocean. She hugged him back, both of them now with smiles shining with energy. Suddenly a wave crashed at their feet, soaking the bottom of Allen's pants and Riliane's dress. They both yelped at the sudden cold that broke the embrace, and they both scurried back to the dry sand with Allen laughing the whole way.

"Why are you laughing, Ma's gonna behead both of us!" She scolded, and Allen clutched his stomach and leaned over with laughter consuming him.

"I don't know" He said between laughs, and Riliane crossed her arms and waited for him to calm down.

"You're a pain." She said, and he opened his mouth to say something back but stopped before any noise could come out when he saw something behind her. Riliane turned around to see what he was looking at, and gasped while jumping behind him. A man in a dark cloak was standing about 40 yards away from them, his hood shading the top of his face so only his chin was visible. Allen put up a protective hand of Riliane when he started walking towards them.

"Who are you?" She shouted, her voice shaking as he came closer. He tensed up and pushed his sister further away from the man, eventually wrapping both arms around her and turning so his back completely protected her, him glancing over his shoulder. He was terrified of him, now just a few feet away from them. But Riliane was more important, he would protect her. He must protect her.

"Get away from us! I'll call the guards o-" He choked on his words and his eyes widened, the color drained from his face. He could see a glint of metal now, the object secured in the man's hand. _Knife_. " ** _RUN_**!" He screamed at her, pushing the girl forwards to get a running start. She stumbled and tried to turn around, but tripped on her dress. Allen back up and dragged her into his arms, running as fast as he humanly could. Riliane screamed, tears waterfalling down her face. Allen tripped, dropping her and himself to the ground. He turned around, to see they had barely moved two yards away and the assassin was right infront of them. Thinking fast, Allen grabbed the crying Riliane's dress and pulled with all his might, the soaked fabric tearing away from the now ruined gown. She looked at him with terrified and confused eyes, but he shoved her forward and screamed for her to go. She obeyed, and tore across the beach into the mansion, screaming at the top of her lungs for help. Allen returned his focus to the man, who had raised his arms both clutching the knife,and then it plunged it downwards, and Allen screamed.


	5. His wound inflicted by hate

Allen's world shifted as he saw the glint of metal fly towards his face at a powerful speed. Everything slowed down, but his minds raced on. Riliane's face flashed into view infront of the knife, and he wondered if this was when his life would start playing before out before him. But then he remembered. Riliane. The images tore away and before the knife could reappear into his sight he rolled left as fast as he could. Wind rushed past his face, and then the knife hit, slicing through part of his ear and sinking it's way deep into his shoulder. At first, he couldn't feel pain. He could feel the foreign object pressed deep into his flesh, but no pain came with it. Time caught up to him, the man cursing angrily. Then he pulled the knife out. He could feel everything now. His bones shattered into thousands of pieces as muscles and ligaments tore and snapped, and the blade sliced through him once more as the man reclaimed his weapon. He screamed. He screamed with everything he had, all ounce of energy being poured into his lungs as pain more agonising than anything he had ever felt consumed his shoulder, consumed him. That's anything he could think about, how it hurt, it hurt. The man raised his knife again, pointing it in the direction of the boy's heart. Riliane burst out onto the beach with a team of servants and froze. The man swung his knife, Allen braced himself, and Riliane screamed. But before the assassin's blade could find his skin, a flash of red tackled him to the ground with a yell. The servants rushed over to the prince and dragged him away from the scene, his screams growing louder as the sand ground against the wound. A man in crimson red armor was on top of the assassin, beating at him with his fist encased in his armor. Riliane snapped out of her frozen trance, and ran with every single fiber of strength her body held, pushing and shoving the servants in her way to the side as she bulldozed across the beach. When she got to the huddle around him she didn't even see the men and women desperately trying to help the boy. A man poured wine over the wound, the blood now pouring out of the indent. Allen screamed once again, as loud as he had when the knife had entered his body, even louder maybe. The men began tearing off his shirt and the women tore cloth from their skirts to wrap him. And Riliane watched. She watched them bind the wound with the strips of cloth they had torn off their own uniforms. She watched Allen's chest rise and fall up and down as his world began to spin. And she watched his eyelids flutter close as his breathing slowed. She clawed at the back of a man's uniform and threw him to the side, her legs giving out so her knees hit the sand. Before she could even stay in the kneel though her legs kicked the soft ground behind her and she desperately dragged herself towards him. Riliane hugged his body and screamed, her tears soaking every inch of her bruised, red blotchy face. One of the maids glared and slapped her arm.

"Stupid girl! He's just unconscious!" She said in a cruel tone, and Mariam, the head maid, slapped her back and scolded her. But Riliane didn't hear any of this, nor did she care. She just kept clutching on to his unconscious body, crying and screaming at the top of her lungs until she too lost her consciousness, and the world went black.

*

Anne paced back and forth across the room, biting her nails worriedly. Arth sat in a chair on a wall adjacent to her, his hands on his forehead while staring menacingly at the ground in thought. _A wound inflicted by hate. A wound inflicted by hate._ Those five destruction bearing words that had been forced upon him by that appalling prophecy given to him by Elluka. He should be mad at her, her should hate her. But instead all of that anger and hatred had been directed towards both his children, and towards only Allen. The little demon. That thing is in the room behind me right now, being treated for wounds. The king shuddered, but before he could continue in his mind loud thumping came from the stair case behind Anne, and a little girl with short blonde hair with a large white bow on top of her head came bounding across the floor towards the door behind him, staring right through his wife. She saw her, and before she could pass the woman scooped her up into her arms and held her close to her chest, tears starting to flow from her eyes.

"Riliane!" Her shaking voice called. "You're alright! Oh, my baby, oh Riliane!" She bawled, cradling the squirming child and rocking her back and forth. The girl kicked at Anne and tried to get out of her grasp, and Arth locked eyes with her and she froze. _Riliane... That's my daughter_?

"Anne." He said, cutting the woman's cries short. "Put the girl down." She obeyed, her face red from crying and filled with all sorts of emotion. Arth was much different from the last time she had seen him, as she could only visit the palace every three months due to security issues, and for the past few years she had started skipping her visits all together. Working as king all alone for six years took a toll on him, and she didn't think she liked his change. Riliane stood infront of the king, staring at him with so many different feelings racing through her brain, and he stared at her in almost the same way. Finally, Arth cleared his throat to speak. "So, your name is Riliane, correct?" The girl nodded, not bothering to say a word to him. She looked anxious, and kept looking over at the door that sat next to him like his wife did. "I am Arth Lucifen d'Autriche. I'm the king of Lucifenia." She tilted her head to the side.

"Lucifenia?" She said, her voice quiet and high pitched. He nodded.

"The Yellow Kingdom." This time her eyes widened at the familiar name, and she slowly raised an arm and pointed to herself.

"I'm the princess of The Yellow Kingdom." The king nodded, and her eyes widened even more. "So, you're-" She cut herself short, so he decided to finish her sentence.

"I am your father. Nice to meet you."


	6. The pitiful twins

The knob twisted and the door to the room Allen rested in opened, a man with purple hair in a doctor's uniform stepping out. Anne stopped pacing, and Arth stood up.

"Is Allen gonna be okay?" Anne cried, calmer from the time passing but still a bit shaky.

"Is he awake yet?" Arth asked, more as a command than a question. But Riliane just bolted in, past the monarchs and past the doctor, into the room. Allen was in fact awake, his face changing into an expression of shock and relief at the sight of his dear sister, with her reaction being identical to his.

"Len!" She yelled, and jumped onto the bed he was resting on, pulling him into a giant hug. Immediately he wrapped his arms around her, grunting at the pain exalted from the movement. But they both ignored it, and cradled each other for what wanted to be forever, until Allen could feel hot tears running down his bare back. He pulled away from the embrace and Riliane rubbed at her eyes to minimize the waterworks flowing throughout her face. His eyes widened as he saw a large black and blue bruise painted onto the side of her face, but she started talking before he could open his mouth, and immediately he forgot about it.

"I thought he killed you, I thought you were _dead_!" She said, and Allen pulled her to his chest as she kept on crying, trying to keep himself from doing the same. " _Th-they said that that w-was an assassin! They sa..._ " Her words dissolved into tears as Anne, Arth, and the doctor walked inside the room. Neither of them noticed or cared, all that existed in that moment was the other. Riliane's crying slowed as Allen reassured her that he was alright and everything was ok.

"It's ok, I'm right here. He didn't kill me, I'm right here." She backed away from the embrace and looked at him with teary eyes, nodding. They pressed their foreheads together, both still one millimeter from bursting out again. Arth watched the two embrace, and he became filled with molten rage and loathing towards the sight of the boy. That thing would destroy everything he's worked so hard for all his life if he reached the throne. How dare he care for another, his own daughter of anyone. How dare he. Arth was about to yell to separate the two, but Anne got there first.

"What is going on here?!" She barked, her once loving and worried tune completely flipping to it's opposite. The twins jumped apart, Allen groaning from the sudden movement. Arth turned to the doctor, who was wincing at the boy's rash behavior.

"How long will his shoulder take to heal?" He asked flatly.

"It should be about seven-" The door opened suddenly, and a tall man ducked into the doorway with a concerned face on, and Anne put both her hands to her chest.

"Sir Leonhart!" She gasped, and the man nodded solemnly.

"Your majesty. I just came in to see if he was alright." He the turned to the two on the bed, who were staring fearfully at the group surrounding them while holding on to one another. Anne took no notice, and ran up to the man to shake his hand.

"Thank you so- thank you for saving Allen! I can't repay you enough to show my gratitude but you really can ask for anything-"

"It's alright your majesty, I was only doing what I was hired to do that day." She nodded, and returned back to her original spot while playing with her purple gloves. The doctor opened his mouth to speak, but Arth cut him off immediately.

"Thank you, Dr. Kamui. You may take your leave now. I'll send you the fee at a later time, goodbye." The man's eyes widened slightly.

"But I didn't give you-"

"I said goodbye." The doctor slowly nodded, and walked out of the room while picking up his stuff. Arth turned to Leonhart, the best warrior he knew and the man he had hired to escort him to his summer home. He had always planned to make the trip here the moment he sent his wife and children off, knowing that the eighth day after they turned six would be when the prophecy started, when he had planned to stop it. But nothing went according to plan. Leonhart put a crimson armored hand to his hip.

"If you plan on asking how you could repay me for saving your son's life, then you're really out of luck." He half teased, the corner of his mouth rotating up. Arth met him with a cold expression.

"No. You did not save my son. Allen died at the hands of the assassin, and you rightfully killed him as revenge for the prince of yellow's life."

"What?" Arth walked past him, and turned to Anne who was glancing around in a confused manner. Then her gaze faltered, her face draining of color.

"Elluka's prophecy." She whispered, and he nodded, pointing a finger at Allen who was clutching on to Riliane in fear.

"You are no longer my son. You are a lowly commoner, and will not ascend to the throne." He then looked to Riliane, and she shrunk back at his gaze. "You are forbidden for ever seeing, talking, or communicating in any way with this demon. Do I make myself clear?" Both of them were shaking at what they had had thrown upon them, doubting and convincing themselves that all this was was a dream. It was a dream. But it wasn't, the king narrowed his eyes at them. Anne bounded over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Arth, I don't think you should-" he shoved her off him, and grabbed Allen by his non injured arm, pulling him out if the bed and away from Riliane, who began screaming and clawing at Allen so he would stay in the bed. And Allen screamed from the pain, and Anne screamed from the screaming.

" ** _NO_**!" Riliane wailed, trying to tug the violently squirming Allen away from Arth, but he was far stronger than the little girl and won that tug-a-war battle instantly. He turned to Leonhart, who had stayed the calmest out of all of them and shoved the boy into his arms. He gave Arth a confused look, while restraining the screaming six year old with ease. Anne had originally been trying to keep Arth from making this decision, but gave up and was now holding Riliane down so she wouldn't try and tackle the men to the ground. He nodded at Leonhart, and said,

"Take him to the farms near your town and find a family to take him in. Bribe or force them to do so, kill him if you must. So long as he can never come near the palace again." Leonhart looked fearfully down at the boy, but he knew what would become of him if he ever refused an order from his king. "No one must know, he is no longer my son." The knight nodded, and knocked Allen on the top of his head to keep him unconscious. Riliane's screams grew louder, and they could hear servants pouring out from their posts to see what was going on. Quickly, he rushed out of the room with the boy, stopping at the door just before he closed it.

"And what of Dr. Kamui?" He asked, and the king crossed his arms.

"He had a carriage malfunction on his way back, and died in the accident. Riliane is screaming because Prince Allen Lucifen d'Autriche died on in this room, and you are carrying out this corpse." He said commandingly, the knight nodded solemnly, and the door shut.


	7. Their king and his puppet master

Smoke, fire, the smell of charred and burnt paint. Kyle threw the canvases carrying his works of art into the ever growing bonfire of blinding light and heat. He was no longer an artist. Im never going to be one, and now I have a kingdom to take care of anyway. He thought angrily, cursing the glorious times when his dream seemed to be able to become a reality. But now, Margret, his teacher, his angel, was dead. Now, critics ridiculed his works and told him time and time again how horrendous his works had become. Now, he was to become the king of Marlon, of The Blue Country. He brushed his bright blue hair out of his face as he watched the paintings burn, every single one of his works were now gone, and he intended to keep it that way. Except for one. One last piece lay on the ground far away from the blaze, in a golden frame with intricate carvings of vines and flowers lining it. That was the one Margret loved the most, his master piece. Kyle walked over to it, his face red and sweating from the heat given off by the flames nearby. The canvas was covered in paint creating a portrait of a young girl, around the age of five. She had long golden hair tied up in a ponytail on the side of her head, and her yellow eyes stared mysteriously at whoever viewed the painting. He was told many times that that piece alone was one of his best creations, and some even said that it was one of the best pieces they've ever seen. He smiled at the only painting he's ever gotten praise for. Kyle barely remembered the girl he painted in the portrait, only recalling that she was one of his many sisters and that she was an extremely weird girl, which made for a great person to paint due to her character. There were steps on the ground behind him, and he turned around to see his mother walking towards him.

"It's such a shame to see all those years of appretienceship go to waste, you know. I thought you would turn into such a wondrous painter." She said with a loving yet taunting tone, and Kyle blew a lock of hair from his face and rolled his eyes.

"No you didn't. You never wanted me to become a painter. You're getting what you wanted, ok?" But the woman just smiled and shook her head.

"No, I didn't want you to be a painter. But that didn't stop me from expecting you to be." She looked over to the canvas on the floor and snickered. "I remember how much Margret loved that piece, is that why it doesn't burn?" She asked, grinning with her head tilted to the side. Kyle nodded, and she sighed but kept her smile. A breeze began to flow by, making her curly gray hair and blue gown fly in the winds direction, adding to the woman's unnatural beauty. She looked up at the black smoke dying the clouds and sky an ashy like black, and her eyes began to water from it. Kyle turned and looked to. "Next time, you should think twice before burning that much paper so that the air doesn't turn completely black, then there would be no one left on the island due to suffocation." She said smiling again.

"You're such a flake." Kyle grunted, and his mother laughed.

"Come now, you have much work to in the palace. Take that painting and we'll hang it up somewhere in a hall." She turned around into the castle again, and her son followed with a 'yes mother', hoisting up the portrait in one hand before walking away from his life's work. Smoke, fire, the smell of charred and burnt up paint that was once his pride and joy. But now he was a king, and he had to be there for his kingdom. Once they went inside the palace, his mother turned him over to one of her advisors, now his advisor, and the two went on their way in transitioning power over to him. The woman, Prim, smiled at her son's passiveness. _I've made a good choice in who would succeed me, he'll follow any command of mine with no retaliation,_ she thought, and walked up a cold marble staircase, her steps echoing through the grand room. Her smile turned into an angry glare down at the floor when she couldn't see anyone in sight, and Prim gripped the skirts of her blue-gray dress. _Everyday I come closer to the fall of Lucifenia, my goal is almost reached_. Prim was smiling again as she thought of what it'll be like once she succeeded, when The Yellow Country has fallen and the royal family destroyed. _Just you wait Anne, I'll make you pay for abandoning me. And you'll never be able to forget me again._

*

Michaela floated above a large branch, staring boredly at the ground with nothing o do. Usually, this would be about the time when she would see out Gumillia, and the two would talk for hours, sometimes until the sun passed over the horizon. But ever since she had been turned into a human to be Elluka's apprentice, the robin spirit didn't have much of anything to do during the day. She heard leaves crunching, and looked up from her sulking to see the flowing gray cloak she knew all too well. Immediatly changing into her robin form she flew after the mage, shouting at her to get the woman's attention.

"Ms. Clockwork! Ms. Clockwork, I need your help!" She shouted and Elluka turned around to face Michaela who had almost flown straight into her face.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" She scolded, but she ignored her.

"Never mind that, I need you to turn me into a human!" The mage stepped back in surprise, and cocked her head to the side with a half glare.

"You know Held would kill me if I did that, and I need his permission even is you just wanted to leave the forest. Why do you even want to be human, to be with Gumillia?" She shook her head and opened her mouth to explain, but then she saw that her green haired friend wasn't with Elluka at the moment, which was very unusual for them.

"Where are they?" she asked suspiciously, landing on her shoulder as the woman yawned.

"I sent them ahead to collect some roots for me. Now, answer my question." Michaela sighed.

"That Netsuma girl. I want to help her. Please, I don't want her to suffer anymore" She turned her head towards the bird perched on her shoulder with an inquisitive look.

"And what will you do to help her exactly?" She asked.

"Become her friend!" The bird chirped. Elluka sighed, and pressed a pale hand to her chin in thought. "Well?" she pried, and she swished her hand in the air as if to swipe away an imaginary bug flying infront of her.

"There might be a loophole in the deal I made with Held. He said I could turn a spirit into a human if it were for capturing or destroying a vessel of sin, but he didn't say any specific spirit or how many." Michaela's feathers stood up and she flapped her wings slightly in excitement.

"So, you can do it?" She nodded.

"Yes, but you have to do as I say. My original plan was much more intricate, but this makes things much simpler now." She turned to the bird, who's eyes looked as big as acorns now. "In about seven years time, a man with blue hair will visit the mansion of Keel Freezis for dinner. No matter what, you must attend that dinner an speak to the man. Now comes the hard part..." She sighed, and Michaela hopped closer to her face.

"What? What do I have to do?" Elluka turned to her.

"You must fall in love with him, and he _has_ to fall im love with you, understand?" Michaela hopped back, how could she fall in love with someone purposely? What if he was some selfish lord? What if he didn't like her? She saw her scared expression, and gave the bird a comforting smile while scratching her chin. "Don't worry, I looked into the future just now. He will fall for you."

"And that's all I have to do, attend a dinner of Keel Freezis?" Michaela asked, and the mage nodded.

"When it becomes close to the date I'll meet with you and give you more details, but this is all you need to know for now." Michaela nodded and flew off her shoulder to hover in front of her. "You want to transform _now?_ " She asked, and the robin nodded.

"Turn me into a human."


	8. Excuses, excuses

Germaine swung down from the tree branch her hands had been latched on to, and dropped down into a crouch once her feet hit the ground. She stood up, and looked around for another good tree to climb when she heard the sound of hooves hitting dirt and the wheels of a carriage. She turned around to see a Lucifenian carriage making it's way down the dirt road about 40 yards away from her, raised up on a hill away from the field. She smiled, knowing that it meant her father had returned from his business at the Royal family's summer home. Germaine stopped her climbing tree search, and broke out into a jog towards their large home. It was a rather large house, but definitely way too small to be considered anything close to a mansion. Still, she loved it and treated the home as a treasure. Her short, reddish brown hair flopped back and forth with each stride as she made her way over to the front of the house, reaching there just in time to greet the carriage. She dusted her hands off on her red shorts and pulled out any wrinkles in her shirt. The door opened, and she ran over to it with a smile.

"Welcome back Dad!" She cheered, and jumped onto the big burly man in the crimson armor, almost knocking him over with the force of the hug. He put his armored hands around her waist and lifted her up above his face.

"How is it you've grown this much in two days? I'll have to stop feeding you so that doesn't happen again!" He teased, and Germaine giggled. But she stopped when she saw someone else inside the carriage, a boy about four or five years younger than her with bright blonde hair was staring back at the girl fearfully. Leonhart saw that she had noticed him, and slowly lifted her down to the ground again. "Germaine, I'd like you to meet Allen." He gestured for the boy to step out, and he reluctantly did while clinging to the loose white shirt that seemed way too big for him. She looked up to her dad with confusion, and he sighed, placing a hand on the boy's head. He winced at his touch, but didn't say anything in complaint.

"Dad?" she said, glancing back and forth between the two as if she were watching fish jump in a lake. He smiled, and glanced down to Allen.

"He's going to be living with us from now on, as your brother." He said, and the boy clasped his hands together while glaring at the ground. _He doesn't look to excited about being my brother._ She thought, but nodded her head anyways and reached her hand out to him

"I'm Germaine" She said, trying to sound as friendly as possible. But Allen swiped her hand away and looked away from her with his glare still present. Her eyes narrowed and dropped her hand. "Fine then!" She turned to her father with anger on her face and put her hands on her hips. "I don't like him either!" Germaine stomped her foot and proceeded to storm off into the house, hands balled into fists at her side. Leonhart sighed and looked down at Allen, who was now on the verge of tears. He knelt down and put his hand on his shoulder.

"She'll warm up to you, she's just a hot headed girl is all." He said, and threw back his head to laugh. But Allen's face didn't change, and he pressed his hands closer to his chest."Hey, hey now" He said to him, and the boy tearily looked up. "It'll be alright. It's very peaceful here, I'm sure you'll love it. Everything just.. takes time to get used to.' He nodded, and Leonhart led him into the house and proceeded to show him around. Germaine watched them from afar, wondering where the boy had come from and why her father was taking him in, especially because he just didn't seem to want to be there. She tried to be angry, tried to hate him, but this frustrating sympathy forcing it's way through her mind irritated the girl to no end. She didn't want to become any more sympathetic towards that wimpy boy, so she stomped off from her place on the dark wooden stair case and went to the right, out the back door and into the field behind their house. It was filled with dirt and grass that stretched down along the road for what seemed like forever, bordered on the other side by the forest of bewilderment. Her house was in a more 'desolate' part of the town, with only houses lining the right side of the road, the left holding farms, horse stables, and a small river running through it all. She went and stormed off into the forest, planning to take a shortcut through it to reach Chartette's house faster, but her father's voice cut her journey short.

"Germaine!" he called, and she turned around immediately on instinct. The boy was with him, and her shoulders immediately drooped, but she answered him anyways in order not to be rude.

"Yeah?" She yelled back at him.

"You're going to Chartette's, right? Why don't you take Allen along with you and introduce him?" He asked. Chartette was Germaine's best friend, and had been long before she could keep any memories. She walked closer to the two boys, and Allen went up to greet her reluctantly. He held out his hand, and she cocked her head to the side.

"Nice to meet you." He said flatly, but she did see a bit of kindness in his face. But after closer inspection, she noticed he looked extrememly similar to Lucifenia's prince. _Actually_ , she thought, _he looks exactly like him, with the same name even._ Cautiously, she shook his hand. But she excused herself straight afterwards and walked past him to her father, confonting him about the situation. Her dad sighed, and put a hand up to his forehead. He knew that this would happen, and had come up with a lie to cover his extreme resemblance to the prince. But it still felt wrong to lie to his daughter.

"Thats why he's coming to live with us. His parents named him after the prince, and in an extreme coincidence he turned out to be one of his three doppelgangers" Germaine gasped slightly, and looked back at the boy who was looking back at her with a confused expression. She turned back to her father.

"Seriously? That's one of the biggest coincidences Iv'e ever heard of." It was a commonly known fact that everyone who is born into the world has three doppelgangers of themselves strewn about the world, but she's never heard of one being born around the same time as another, let alone being of the same name. "So, why is he living with us?" she asked.

"His parents were killed in a fire, and people were unwilling to take him in because they could barely support one child there." She looked back at him, then back to her father and sighed.

"You could've just said he was a homeless doppelganger an I'd be less bored, you know." Leonhart laughed, and apologized for boring her. Germaine grinned, then rolled her eyes. "I'll take him over to Chartette and introduce him, happy?" He smiled and ruffled her hair.

"That's my girl." He said, and she pushed off his head.

"What's going on?" Allen asked, and she turned around with her hand on her hip.

"You're coming with me to go and play or whatever, that's what." She said, and walked over to him, grabbing the boy by the elbow and pulling him towards her friend's house whilst keeping her excited grin from the boy, as her father watched the two with a smile.


	9. The fallen girl in the forest

Clarith walked at a steady pace through the forest, a basket swinging in one of her hands. Her mother had sent her to the millennium forest to gather food for dinner. She knew this place well, as she had been here so many times that it was past counting. She turned to the left around a large tree, and yelped as she almost tripped on the limp body of a girl laying on the ground. She stepped over to the other side of her, trying with all her might not to step on any of the long green hair the girl had pulled up into pony tails. She succeeded, but dropped her basket in the process and it tumbled a few feet away from her. Clarith scrambled after it, but stopped, remembering the girl. She looked back at her, and stared in wonder at how beautiful she actually was. Everyone in Elphegort had green hair, some with red tints to it, some almost blonde, but none the less green. And hers was a gorgeous turquoise, almost blue. Everything else about her was pretty. Clarith wondered what she was doing in the forest, especially dressed in a simple gray nightgown that seemed much to big for the girl. But, she was more worried about how she wasn't moving. Is.. is she dead? Het mind raced, but calmed down when she saw her chest rise and fall. But it seemed like she was breathing too fast, and she put a hand to the girl's forehead. It was burning hot, and she realized that she was very sick, and would die very soon if she didn't do something. Pushing her white hair out of the way, Clarith cautiously picked the sickly girl up, forgetting about her now lost basket as she walked hurriedly back to the village. She knew the girl would shun her when she found out that she was saved by a netsuma, but Clarith pushed on anyways. If I don't help her she'll die, and it'll all be my fault! She thought, and her pace quickened when the girl's breath got worse.

"We're almost there" she said, even though she knew that the girl wasn't able to hear here. "We're almost there, don't worry. Hang in there" Her shaky voice kept repeating, and she started into a run towards the small village at the bottom of the hill.

Michaela could feel something soft and heavy wrapped around her, and she tried to open her eyes to see where she was, but a blinding light forced her to close them back up. The last thing she could remember was falling to the ground in the millennium forest, which was evidently not here. She could remember clearly what happened before hand though. Immediately after she was transformed by Elluka, she said her thank yous and ran off blindly through the forest, It was only a few minuets later that she had no idea where she was, having never navigated the forest from the ground. Everything looked so different from this angle, and yet every single tree and bush looked exactly the same as the last. For days, she could remember aimlessly wandering around in circles. She didn't know what was safe to eat for a human or what was safe to drink, she didn't know about the dangers of being exposed in the the cold, or that a cut could get infected. No, none of that she knew, and slowly she could feel herself dying. But she pressed on, trying to find a way out of the forest until she fell down with exhaustion, and now she was here. Her senses creeped their way slowly back to her body, and Michaela could feel multiple strips of cloth wrapped around her limbs. The thin, flowy dress Elluka had given her was gone, replaced by a thicker gown with ton of skirts underneath it. She didn't know why they were necessary, but had bigger problems to attend to at the moment. She could hear a worried voice in the distance, and then a deeper, more calm voice answering her. Finally, her eyes adjusted to the blinding light and she sat up on the soft rectangle thing she was placed on, throwing the large pice of cloth off of her. She was in a large wooden structure, with so many different things strewn all over the place, pushed against a wall, sitting on the floor, or even sitting on top of another object. All of the different things staring back at her made her head spin, but then a girl ran over to Michaela. She had bright white hair pulled back into a low ponytail in a large bow, and she suddenly realized that she was the netsuma girl that cried underneath the tree.

"You're awake!" She cried, and Michaela nodded her head being overwhelmed with so many sights and thought and feelings. She realized she was in a 'house,' a structure humans build to keep them safe. The netsuma girl suddenly gasped and alarmingly pulled her hands away from Michaela's, bowing her head. "I-Im so sorry! Please forgive me!" She yelped. She looked at her with a confused look.

"Why?" she asked, and the netsuma gasped and looked at her shocked. Michaela was equally surprised, but at the fact that she was able to speak an that a human could understand her. To them, her words just sounded like birdsong.

"B- because- Because I'm a- Im a-a" The girl stuttered, but she wasn't paying attention to he rat the moment. She was staring at the woman who was standing in an open section of the wall, looking over the pair with calm, observing eyes. She had long yellow green hair, pulled back in the same hairstyle as the Netsuma. She turned to the girl in front of her, and gestured to the woman.

"Is that your mother?" she asked, her tone more shocked than questioning. She nodded, fidgeting with her hands as Michaela stared at her. "I-" she stared, but was cut off by a loud banging at the front door, to which her mother rushed off towards. The girl stood up and rushed over to meet her mother, and Michaela watched as a man in a black suit appeared at the door.

"You're limit's up, now give me my money!" He yelled, and the girls mother straightened her back and drew in a deep breath.

"Please, just give us more time. The traders-"

"Iv'e given you more time than should even be allowed, by now what you're trying to pull off should be considered robbery!" The man yelled, and her mother kept trying to reason with him as the girl watched in the background fearfully. Michaela got up from the soft square she was sitting on, determined to try and help them. Shoving her hand into the dress pocket, she pulled out a handful of golden coins and pushed them into the man's hand, slamming the door once he had the coins secured as to not fall. She had learned from Elluka how to summon coins back when she was a spirit, it was one of the simpler spells that she could even perform as a robin. She turned around to face the two, who looked at her shocked. Ignoring their expression, Michaela bowed deeply towards them.

"If you would take me, I'll pay any expenses for you if you would let me stay here." She said, looking up to see their. The netsuma was staring back at her in shock, but her mother was smiling, and she nodded kindly at her. Michaela smiled back at her, and turned to the girl. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Im-Clarith." She said, and she grinned at the girl.

"I'm Michaela."


	10. A deadly sin

Ney dusted off her maid's uniform with one hand, then reached up back up to hold the tray of food she was carrying down the long hallway, the sun softly shining through the giant ceiling to floor windows to her right. The kingdom was still mourning the death of their king, who had fallen ill and passed away a few weeks ago. There was much argument over who would rule next, until Queen Anne said that she'd rule in her husband's place. Ney smiled to herself at the thought, proud of herself for carrying out her mother's order so perfectly. Reaching one hand to her pocket, she felt the hard handle of the hand mirror, and smiled even more. Yes, my mother will be proud of me when I do what she asked. She stopped at a grand looking door, knocking gently on the wood.

"Princess Riliane? I brought in tea for you." She said loudly so she could hear her, and the princess gave her permission to come in. Ney opened the door and stepped inside, setting the tray down on a coffee table set in the middle of the room. Princess Riliane was sitting in the window seat, a white blanket covered with feathers wrapped around her legs as she emotionlessly stared out the glass. Ney sighed and walked over to the girl, grabbing her cleaned off plate from the seat. "I know this is very hard on you princess, but everyone in the palace would love to see you active and back to normal again. So please try to get better." There was a silence between them for a moment, and then she tilted her head downwards slightly.

"You may leave now" She said, and Ney bowed her head and headed out of the room. But before stepping out the door, she pulled the small hand mirror out of her dress and placed it on the coffee table next to the tea. "A gift for you, your majesty." She said, before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. But instead of returning back to the kitchen, she waited with her back pressed against the wood and listened through the room, waiting. Riliane sighed, and go tup from the window seat to fetch her tea, wondering what the gift was. She saw a glint of light from the coffee table, and the went over to see what it was. Eyeing the small mirror, she picked the intricate ornament up by the handle and turned it around in her hands, marveling at the professional quality of the carvings. She looked in the smooth surface of it and saw herself staring back at her, her blue eyes tearng up slightly at the sight of it. Her and Len shared the exact same face despite the gender differences. Only now did she realize this. Everything about their looks were the same, their faces, their bodies, even their voices. Suddenly though her reflection went dark, and the glass turned an ash like black. Riliane dropped the mirror and backed away from it as a dark figure rose out of the tiny thing. She pressed her back against the wall and tried to scream, but her voice just wouldn't obey. The creature saw her there, shivering against the wall, and suddenly it at an alarming speed. She yelled, but was cut short when the thing disappeared. Looking around the room, she realized that it was filthy, fit for a maid even! How dare they force me to live in something fit for a lowly commoner! Her mind yelled she threw open the door. Ney immediately wiped the smile off of her face and pushed herself away from the wall.

"Yes, your majesty?" She asked timidly, switching to the shy persona she had made for herself at the castle. The princess stomped her foot.

"I demand I be moved to the grandest room in the palace at once! This is a mere commoner's room and I will not allow myself to dwell even close to it!" She yelled, and Ney bowed her head.

"Of course, your majesty." She said, and lead the steaming princess away to the new room she had prepared for her before the encounter. Ney kept her face neutral as her thoughts raced inside her mind. I did it mother, she has the demon of pride within her now. Are you proud of me?

Allen ran along behind the two girls in front of him. the two were racing one another and he was the judge, but the couldn't seem to keep up with their impossibly fast pace. Chartette's twisted red pony pigtails swished back and forth as she ran, passing slightly ahead of Germaine. The stream loomed ahead, serving as the finish line. Chartette jumped forward, just seconds ahead of Germaine when her feet hit the ground. She pumped a fist in the air and smiled, victorious.

"No fair!" The short haired girl whined, and Allen crossed over the stream, putting his hands on his knees and panting.

"Couldn't you at least... slowed down?" He panted, and Chartette stuck out her tongue at him.

"Nuh uh!" She said. "If Id've slown down I woulda lost!" She said, and Germaine glared at her.

"Well I slowed down for him, because I'm just a nice person that's all. I would've won If I weren't so nice!" She boasted, and the other girl put her hands on her hips.

"No, you're just slow." She said, and Allen rolled his eyes as the two go into another argument of theirs.

And they call themselves friends... he thought, and turned away from the pair and started walking towards his house. He had been with them for three months now, and had excepted this place as his new home. But no matter what he did, couldn't stop thinking about Riliane, couldn't stop missing her. His dear sister. Chartette and Germaine turned around once they noticed him leaving, and they called out after him.

"Where are you going?" Germaine asked, and he turned his head sideways to face them.

"Im tired, so Im going to rest in the house." He answered, waving at them. Chartette shrugged.

"Suit yourself" She said, and the two continued playing as if their little argument never happened. Allen turned away from them, placing his hands in his pockets.

I still don't think of them as family.He thought. Sure, he was tired, but that's not why he was leaving. He crossed the road and went inside the house, up the stair case and into his room that he shared with Germaine. It was a simple room, with white curtains and sheets, and toys that neither of them used strewn across the floor. Allen pressed his back against the door, relieved he was finally alone. He reached into his pocket to reveal a glass bottle held shut by a piece pf cork wood, a blank piece of paper rolled up inside. It was supposed to be Riliane's wish, one she never made. His vision went blurry as he thought of that day, tears filling his eyes, and he held the tiny little bottle close to his heart.


	11. Farmwork and friendships

Sweat rolled down Michaela's forehead as she dragged the metal hoe through the ground, trying to mimic the manner in which the others next to her preformed the job. She looked over at a girl next to her with short, reddish green hair who was doing exactly what she was so effortlessly. She grunted, pouting as she looked back down and continued her job. A few feet ahead of her, some other workers were digging up the fresh soil and planting the potatoes left over from the trade they recently had before she came here. Clarith was among the planters, a few rows over from her, and Michaela smiled as her white hair glowed and shone when the sun hit it. I really was beautiful. For the first few weeks since living in Yatski, she just sat in the tiny little cottage all day until Clarith and her mother returned from working in the fields. The times after that were wonderful, she and her would talk for hours walking around the town or doing chores, and when it came time for dinner her mother made the most delicious meals. But everything before that, was so terribly boring. So, she forced Clarith to teach her how to farm, and her she was. Another drop of sweat fell from her face, and she sighed before wiping off her forehead. The girl next to her, who she learned was named Chelsea, looked over and her and smiled friendlily. Michaela looked over at her, and Chelsea dropped her hoe.

"You should take a break." She said. "I'm sure you're not used to this much work yet, right?" She nodded, but then shook her head.

"We're not finished." The girl laughed, and put a hand on her hip.

"They let us take breaks when we get tired so long as we tag out with someone. C'on." And with that she picked the tool and grabbed her hand, pulling her over to a group of girls gathered at the edge of the field. Chelsea grabbed their tools and gave them to two of them, and they nodded and headed back over to the pair were once working. At first she was apprehensive to go when she hadn't done much of anything to help yet, but Chelsea insisted and eventually she rather enjoyed the small picnic they had set up behind one of the buildings. The two ate some apples Chelsea was carrying and talked, laughing occasionally when one of them made a joke.

"I should really get back" Michaela suddenly said, tone worried. "I barely did anything in the field, and I really don't want to make a bad reputation for myself"

"Are you kidding?" She replied. "You have half the town falling for you and you really have done an excellent job for your first time working in a farm." She looked down a bit shamefully, fully aware of how men in Yatski were practically throwing themselves at her. But that wasn't what bothered her.

"You could say things like that to Clarith more often." She mumbled, and Chelsea leaned in closer to Michaela with a surprised expression.

"Clarith? Why?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow while one hand played with a lock of her short hair. Michaela searched her brain for a response, but she began talking before she could think of one. "That girl's always so sloppy with everything she does, she can barely keep up with the rest of us! Besides," she lamented. "I really don't need to thank a netsuma." She frowned, there was that word again, so filled with an underlying hatred that the sound of the word made her spirits drop. "I feel sorry for you." She continued, crossing her arms and looking out onto the farm to stare at Clarith. "I don't think I could even live a day in that house." Michaela looked up from her mini sulking, and pressed her two hands together and looked up as if she were in a day dream.

"I like her white hair. It shines so beautifully when the sun hits it, and it's a lovely change from everyone else's green hair." She giggled. "You can definitely find her in a crowd, that's for sure." Chelsea rolled her eyes.

"You're always so happy all the time. Why do you even like Clarith?" She asked, an the girl tilted her head.

"Why do you hate her?" She shrugged.

"The girl's a netsuma, everyone hates her." She casually said. Michaela suddenly sat up and began walking back towards the field. Chelsea yelled after her, and she continued going back to the work, saying she wasn't tired. But she frowned when she got back, noting that the netsuma wasn't there.

Leaves and dry grass crunched underneath Clarith's boots as she walked, a basket filled with bread and some mushrooms slung over her elbow. The sun was setting at the time, the sky being painted a soft pink that reminded her of frosting. A boy was standing in front of her, and she froze and looked up from staring at her feet, as she had been doing while walking. The boy smiled and waved at her, walking closer so he could talk in a normal voice.

"Hi Clarith." he greeted her a bit awkwardly, and she timidly looked back down at the ground in her usual manner.

"Hi, Ayn." She said, and he grinned, putting his hands into the pockets of his gray pants. Ayn was the son of the village chief and rarely ever talked to her, but was one of the few people who had never once said something mean in her direction. He also had become good friends with Michaela as well, and she was a bit jealous of her for being welcomed into the small village so warmly. He had dusty bright green hair and eyes, and a slight blush began creeping over his face as silence passed between them.

"You're coming back from the fields right? I really should be thanking all of you more for the amount of work you do. " He eventually said, laughing a little bit in between words.

"I-I'm sorry." Clarith stuttered, and Ayn expected her to go rushing off away from him, but gave her a confused look when she stayed put where she was. He leaned forward, and tiled his head to the side.

"Are you alone right now?" He asked, and she nodded. "Huh. Y'know, it would be nice if you were to participate in the harvest festival this year." He stated, before shaking his hand in front of himself and shakily added that i'd be nice if she were to show Michaela how it worked. Then he laughed. "You two are fun to be around, I'd really want to be with ya guys as much as possible." Clarith gasped and looked up at him, but he was turned away from her with his hands resting on the back of his head. Then he began ranting about how being the chief's son was keeping the three apart. Up ahead of him though, she could see Michaela's two pigtails of gorgeous green hair and she shouted out a greeting to the girl, Ayn doing the same once he saw the girl jogging up to them with a cheery smile. "We were just talking about you." He said, which was only half true, but the girl smiled anyways.

"Really?" She asked, and he nodded.

"We were wondering if you were going to the harvest festival." Clarith piped up, and Michaela raised a brow in confusion.

"Isn't that far from now?" She asked, putting a finger to her chin. Ayn threw his head back and laughed, and she just looked even more puzzled. "What? What so funny?"

"My father insists that we plan months ahead of time, which I personally find quite stupid." He said, and the two giggled. "Anyways, Clarith can tell you the details later. I have to be going now." He said, and said goodbye to the two, glancing a few extra seconds at Clarith before running off, hoping they didn't see his blush. They watched him run away, and Michaela leaned on her shoulder and grinned.

"I think he likes you." She said, and Clarith immediately pushed her off her.

"H-how- No he doesn't! It's just pity!" She said flustered, and she laughed as the two turned and began their walk back home. Micheala grinned again at her reaction, softer this time though. She went silent, and Clarith turned her head in concern.

"Miss Micheala?" She asked, using 'Miss' infront of her name in her usual manner. Micheala grinned cartoonishly and waved a hand infront of her face.

"Ah no, it's nothing. I was actually trying to make you feel better by saying that, sorry." She apologized, and Clarith let out a relieved breath before returning her gaze to where they were going.

"That makes much more sense. I do believe he's just using me to get closer to you, he seems quite fond of you." She said, her voice dropping in volume gradually on the last sentence. The Elphe laughed loudly and threw her head back, making her pale skin flush up red. "What?" She called, embarrassed. Micheala tilted her head to the side and smiled, then retrurned to a normal expression.

"I just find love funny. You know, I've only been here for a few weeks and men are already claiming they love me. I didn't think that something like that was thrown around so casually!" She said with a laugh grinning to herself happily as if all was wonderful. It really was a contagious smile, because Clarith felt herself start to grin too.

"You didn't accept any of them though, it that why?" She asked, and Micheala toyed around with the idea for a bit before nodding.

"I guess so. I have met them all, I've made sure of that, and a lot of them are really wonderful people. I do enjoy my time with everyone here. But I don't know if I really truly love a man so much as to marry him." She said, clasping her hands together infront of her skirt. The Netsuma looked down at the ground and smiled sadly.

"Yeah, me too..."


	12. White hair, red eyes

It had been two months now that Micheala had been living in Yatski. She smiled to herself as she picked trauben from the town garden, remembering the sweet fruit she loved as a spirit, and still did as a human too. She looked up once her basket was filled to a satisfactory amount, which happened to be overflowing and way more than her and Clarith actually needed. The girl's shoulders dropped and her mood saddened. Micheala and Clarith were living in their own, and had been for the past two weeks. Her mother's sickness, which had been identified as the uncureable Gula disease, had worsened and worsened at a faster rate than normal over the course of the month. She could remember Clarith travelling up the mountain to the Millennium forest much more recently, which was something she stopped doing. She had said that she didn't believe in god, and Micheala learned that only when she was most desperate would she pray to Held. So she decided to go and pray with her as support, and also to visit her dear master whom she hadn't seen in a very long time.

A sudden snap infront of her face flipped her back to the present, and she turned to see a smiling yet glaring Chelsea infront of her. She had a special talent for that, being able to look so kind yet mean at the same time, which made Micheala like her more, strangely.

"Heya, are you gonna move so people can walk or are ya just gonna stand there?" She teased, and the girl giggled and moved. She opened her mouth to reply to her, but stopped when she saw Chelsea's eyes focus on something in the distance, and then shift into a glare. Micheala turned to look.

"What is it?" She asked she spun her body around, her eyes landing on a familiar head of white hair that shone in the sunlight. She was about forty feet away from the pair an shyly looking down at the ground while a boy, who she recognized as Ayn, was talking to her. Micheala smiled, she loved that Ayn was nice to her, unlike everyone else in the town. That's the only thing she really did hate about Chelsea, her hatred of Clarith. She then realized why the girl was glaring, and put a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down. It didn't.

"Filthy Netsuma!" She shouted under her breath, balling her fists at her sides. "How dare she talk to Ayn like that, like she's trying to seduce him!" Chelsea stomped her foot and her grip on her shoulder tightened. She watched Ayn wave and walk away from the girl, with her timidly waving back at him.

"Chelsea, I'm sure it's alright. You're being angry for nothing." She said soothingly, trying to stop the seething girl from doing anything to hurt her. She took a deep breath and exhaled, and relief started to seep through Micheala before the girl turned to her and pushed her hand off of her shoulder.

"Thank you, Micheala. But this is not your business." She said, and began to storm off in Clarith's direction. The Elphe told herself that Chelsea wouldn't be mean, and that she should trust her friend, but she just had to follow the girl while she walked towards Clarith to confront her, hiding herself behind a wagon while the two talked. She peeked over her shoulder to see what was going on, unable to hear anything. But she could see Chelsea was yelling and that Clarith had her head bowed as the girl towered over her, and a pang of fear and sympathy towards the girl shot up through her as she watched.

"I-Im sorry.." She stuttered, holding her hands together to her chest as the girl raged on.

"Sorry doesn't help anyone! You know Micheala just hangs around you to make her own beauty shine, don't you? And I only allow it because she isn't important to the village at all. But I will not have our chief's son do the same and ruin our already terrible reputation! Do you know how much we sacrifice because of you? How many traders refuse to come here because of the Netsuma tainting our harvests?!" She blazed, and Clarith shrunk even smaller underneath her glare, putting her hands up to her face to cover up the tears falling down it.

"You should be grateful, but instead ya just selfishly take everything we've done for you and trash it! I've never once heard a thank you, now have I?"

"I'm so sorry! I'm sorry for being alive..!" She cried, unable to think of a response and instead just going back to the habit she kept on saying.

"No you ain't!" Chelsea yelled, finally losing her temper and raising her hand above her head to hit the girl as so many had done before her. Clarith raised her head from her hands and looked up to her fearfully, but she knew what it felt like so she wasn't terrified. Suddenly she heard someone cry out from a wagon nearby, and before she could turn to look a flash of turquoise ran infront of her and pushed it's body in between the two girls. Her eyes widened. It was Micheala.


	13. The most wonderful person I've ever met

"Micheala?!"

"M-Miss Micheala?"

The two girls gasped, the last thing they would ever expect to be played out infront of them. But Michaela didn't respond to either of them, and instead pushed Clarith backwards and away from Chelsea, protectively wrapping her arms around the girl and facing her attacker. Clarith stared awestruck at her back, confused yet amazed by her bravery. But even she could she the way the girl was shaking in fear. Chelsea's face reddened and morphed back into a glare that might've been even more frightening than the one she wore previously.

"Why... You-!" She spat, and her arms tensed as if she were going to try and attack again. Michela yelped and grabbed Clarith's hand as she began to run. They were headed towards the Mienium forest, reckon it was far from where Held lay sleeping up on the hill. Clarith could hear Chelsea's enraged yelling behind them as they traveled farther and farther away from the village, and she closed her eyes to try and force them away. It didn't work, of course, but as the two traveled deeper into the forest it began to fade. Finally, when there was silence, Micheala had stopped running. They stopped in a small clearing of trees. Dry, flattened grass that looked almost yellow with flowers scattered through it and some leaves that had begun to face from the trees were the only things there besides them. Micheala let go of Clarith's hand and breathed a sigh of relief, Both from being away from the village, and because she hadn't heard silence in such a very long time. It was always silent in the forest, and suddenly going to such a busy and animated town so quickly made her miss the pleasant forest dearly. Clarith then suddenly dropped to her knees behind her, snapping the Elphe out of the daydream and making her turn around to see what's wrong.

"Clarith?" She asked, reaching out to try and help her up. Clarith was crouched over, her face in her hands as she knelt in the dirt, ruining the gray and black dress she was wearing. Her shoulders we're shaking a bit, muffled sobbing noises coming from her direction. Michaela's eyes widened.

"You're... Crying?" She asked, then knelt down infront of the girl. Clarith didn't respond to the question. So she put a hand on her shoulder and smiled gently, but a worried express still hung on her face."Hey hey, it's ok now." She said, trying to comfort her. "You're away from there right now, you're safe ok?" Clarith tensed even more from her words. Her crying seemed to have stopped, but when Micheala tried to pry her hands away from her shielded face the girl pushed her away and turned her head to the side. Her comforting didn't seem to work, then. Micheala opened her mouth to try and say something again, but stopped when Clarith began to speak.

"Why..?" Came her shaking voice, it no longer muffled by her hands which had now been wrapped around her waist. Her head was down facing towards the ground, refusing to look Micheala in the eye. "Why are..." She started again. "Why are you so nice to me...?" Her voice broke again on the last word, and she could see tears starting to fill up her bloodshot eyes again. She finally looked Micheala in the eyes after saying this, and her heart sank when she saw the almost broken and sorrowful look on her face. "Aren't you just pitying me because I'm so inferior to you?" Her voice cracked as she asked this, but her gaze never faltered. Micheala was shocked for a moment, but then she smiled gently at her as she realized those ideas were probably put into her head by someone else. Clarith looked hurt, but she just shook her head slowly and kept smiling at her.

"No no, not at all." She said with a soothing voice, pulling her into a hug. "I would never do something that cruel."

The girl tried to push herself away from the embrace however, refusing to accept that as reality when it was so far from anything that could ever be possible. She lightly pounded a fist on the girl's shoulder and shook her head.

"But why did you save me? Why do you like me, why don't you hate me?!" Clarith cried. Micheala pulled her close to her once again and put a hand on her head, and the girl didn't protest.

"Because you're the most wonderful person I've ever met in my entire life," She said, and Clarith cried in her arms. But except this time, she could see her smiling. She couldn't help but smile too as she tightened her grip on the girl and it grew even larger when the Netsuma began to hug her back.

Yes, she thought, you're the most wonderful person in the world. Her eyes narrowed and she gave a determined look out into the forest's clearing. I swear. She began. Even if everyone mocks and hurts you, I will protect you. So always smile.

It was nighttime now. Clarith had tossed and turned in her bed for a few hours unable to get to sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about Micheala, about what she had said. Eventually she wandered outside of her little cottage and into the woods again, finding a patch of grass on a ledge just outside of it overlooking all of Yatski village from far above. She sat down, ignoring the dew from the bright green grass that was soaking through and staining her dress, and let her feet dangle over the side. A breeze began to flow through her hair, so Clarith closed her eyes and let it surround her for a while. I'm wonderful. She thought. I'm wonderful! Micheala thinks I'm wonderful. She grinned. She's the wonderful one. Suddenly she could hear leaves crunching behind her, and she turned around to see the very person she was thinking about walking up to her, rubbing her eyes and letting out a long yawn.

"Really..." Micheala said sleepily. "If you're going to sneak out in the middle of the night you should at least tell me before you do so."

"I'm sorry, Miss Micheala" Clarith replied. Micheala shook her head and bounded over to her suddenly full of energy, plopping down next to her on the ledge with her yellow nightdress fanning out in every direction.

"Quit it already with this 'Miss' stuff, alright? We're friends so you don't have to be so proper." She said while grinning wildly at Clarith, who at the moment was in a stunned silence for a few seconds.

Friends? "We're...?" She gasped. This isn't possible, it isn't. But then her face slowly morphed into a grin and she laughed softly at the ground, bringing her arms up to wipe the tears beginning to swell up from her eyes. "Yes." Clarith breathed, her voice cracking slightly. "You're right. You're my friend," Micheala smiled too and scooted closer to her, resting her head on Clarith's shoulder. Thank you. The Netsuma thought, closing her eyes and wishing for this scene to play on forever. Thank you so much.

The two stayed like that for a while, letting the cool breeze, crickets, and each other's warmth engulf them for what they wished was an eternity. But then they could hear a new noise from the village beneath them. What sounded like shouting woke them up from their trance and they both opened their eyes and sat up alertly to the commotion. They could see a person running in the direction of their cottage and shouting, and the more they got closer the better the two recognized his voice and face.

"Isn't that...?" Started Micheala, and Clarith finished her off.

"Ayn." They both stood up. Ayn had gotten to the tiny house and was pounding on the door, shouting something they couldn't hear whilst taking paranoid glances behind him. Micheala worriedly turned to Clarith with a panicked expression and grabbed onto her sleeve.

"Clarith? What's happening? What do we do?" She asked, and the girl grabbed her hand and began running back towards the house.

"I don't know."

The trees flew past them as they ran, both of them stumbling over the uneven forest floor and almost tripping a few times before they finally got back to the cottage. Ayn was still pounding on the wooden door frantically when they got there and Micheala put a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down, which made him jump and even almost hit her in his panicked state.

"Micheala, Clarith!" He yelped, looking back and forth at the two and grabbing both their arms to pull them closer. "Chelsea's just been killed." Both of them gasped and Micheala immediately put her hands over her mouth, her eyes beginning to swell. But Ayn brushed off their reactions and looked directly at Clarith with a serious look. "They're blaming you. There isn't much time before they come to kill you. We need to leave. Now."


End file.
